San Francisco Workation Week 3

 Saturday, August 6, 2022

In the morning, Alex, Inna, and I woke around 08:30 and decided to hike to Arsicault Bakery via Lyon Street Steps. The uphill walk was rather steep, and Inna, whose heart rate peaked at over 160 beats/minute, needed to rest a few times.

Eventually, we reached Arsicault Bakery and queued up in a long line, waiting to purchase delicious pastries. Fortunately, the line was short and moved rather quickly.

When it was our turn to order, Inna selected the following items:

• Boris: Plain Croissant (for me)
• Inna: Ham and Cheese Croissant (for Inna)
• Alex: Chocolate Almond Croissant
• Share: Kouign Ammann

We sat in the nearby Breck's Cafe, where Inna ordered a mocha for Alex and me and a latte for herself. We sat down and munched on the delicious pastries.

The plain croissant and Inna's Ham and Cheese Croissant were delicious. Alex did not feel well eating his croissant and later explained that he had become "allergic" to croissants.

We stopped at Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line on the way home. Alex and I walked over the trees to test our balance while Inna followed us closely.

After returning home, we rested a bit. Both Inna and I were pretty tired. At first, we made tentative plans to play miniature golf at Stagecoach Greens at Mission Bay, but Alex decided he wanted to try Wing Foiling instead.

At around 14:05, we departed for Crissy Field, where I found parking on the grass. I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish Hover GS 110L board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. Alex wore my Promotion 4/3mm wetsuit and carried the Duotone SLS Slick wing to the beach.

I explained to Alex how to practice and carried the board to the water. He attached all of the leashes and entered the water. The first day would be difficult, as there was so much to learn!

Alex needed to figure out how to flip, climb on the foilboard, and fly the wing. He managed to do so, but he fell many times and did not seem to understand points of sail (close reach, beam reach, broad reach, run) or how to move the wing forward or backward to turn the board. However, he persisted for two hours and learned quite a bit.

After getting tired, he got off the water, and I helped carry the board to the grassy area, where I de-rigged. Alex was quite tired but surprised to hear he had spent 2 hours practicing. Many other wing foilers and one windsurfer sailed out during this time. 

Crissy Field was crowded on Sunday, and I was worried about carrying gear around to avoid hitting anyone.

At around 17:00, we returned home, resting before going to dinner. Inna made dinner reservations at Palette Tea House in Ghirardelli Square for 18:45. After driving over and checking in, we were seated indoors. We ordered the following items to share:

• Palette Soup Dumpling "XLB" (our favorite)
• Chicken and Mushroom Siu Mai (4)
• Jumbo Scallop Siu Mai (3)
• Sichuan Seafood Dumpling
• XO Wagyu Beef & Fried Rice
• HK Boba Milk Tea
• 2 Jade Jasmine Pearl Hot Teas
• Hot & Sour Soup

Alex especially liked the Palette Soup Dumplings, and we also really liked the Wagyu Beef & Fried Rice. I liked the Jumbo Scallop Siu Mai. We could have skipped the Chicken and Mushroom Siu Mai.

After dinner, we stopped by Ghirardelli for our Hot Fudge sundae. For some reason, I was less impressed. Inna and Alex love the Hot Fudge, but I didn't care for the vanilla.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

We woke around 07:40 to discover an ant infestation in our kitchen. The ants were crawling to the trash cans. Inna spent 30 minutes cleaning up the ants, and we took out the garbage downstairs.

While Alex was doing his Northeastern University Computer Science homework, Inna and I decided to walk to Equator Coffees near Fort Mason. We arrived in a long line, and Inna and I queued up. Eventually, I suggested sitting down at one of the tables.

Inna ordered a mocha for me and a latte for herself. She also purchased a small pastry to share. After finishing our coffee drinks, we explored the nearby Farmer's Market for a few minutes and then stopped by the nearby Safeway to purchase baking soda (to kill ants in our house).

 

After returning home, Inna put more baking soda around the kitchen (to keep the ants away), and we discussed where to eat lunch. We walked to Chestnut Street, hoping to eat at Cracked & Battered. However, there were no tables, and I needed to be more patient. Inna decided to try Souvla, and she discovered plenty of space there. Thus, we ate our lunch at Souvla. We ordered the following lunch items:

• Boris: Chicken Sandwich on Pita
• Alex:  Thomas Farms Lamb Sandwich
• Inna: Thomas Farms Lamb Salad

I really enjoyed my Chicken Sandwich, and Inna liked her Lamb Salad. After lunch, we returned home to discuss what to do next. We plan to play miniature golf at Stagecoach Greens in Mission Bay. However, the wind forecast looked promising, and Inna suggested Alex and I try wing foiling first.

I loaded the Toyota Sienna minivan with my wing surfing gear and drove to Crissy Field. I managed to find parking on the grass. When we arrived at 13:30, the wind was strong, and white caps were on the water.

I was trying to decide whether to windsurf or wing foil, but after observing a few windsurfers struggle to the ane, I decided to wing foil.

I quickly attached the Armstrong foil to my Naish Hover GS 110L board and inflated my Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. I put on my Promotion 4/3mm wetsuit and walked with the gear to the beach.

The wind was much stronger than I expected, and I struggled initially to stand up on the board. However, I adjusted and could stand up and get going, though I was getting blown downwind and had to do the walk of shame a few times.

As the day progressed, I got better at standing up and could do so quickly from kneeling. I could sail back and forth many times and got on the foil for short rides. I eventually figured out why my board was spinning out. My back foot was too far back, and I needed more pressure on the front. Overall, I made some excellent progress, and despite some powerful gusts, I managed to ride the board back and forth.

Inna managed to take many beautiful photos of birds at the Palace of Fine Arts.

After finishing foiling, I carried all the gear to the van to de-rig. Alex and Inna stopped by. Alex was interested in foiling himself, but the wind and the waves were not the most favorable conditions for a struggling beginner, so I suggested postponing winging to another day.

When I returned home, I suggested we play miniature golf at Stagecoach Greens in Mission Bay. Alex needed to submit his homework, and after about 30 minutes, we drove to Mission Bay. Unfortunately, all of the games at Stagecoach Greens were sold out (and I did not pre-purchase tickets). Thus, we went back to our home, through Mission Bay and other parts of San Francisco unknown to me.

For dinner, Inna suggested walking to Roam Burger, but the walk there was long, and she felt tired. We decided to explore the nearby restaurants on Chestnut Street. At first, we stopped at A16 (a highly-rated restaurant), but outdoor seating was unavailable. We decided to try another restaurant and stopped at Napizza. It looked adorable and cozy, and the menu seemed very reasonable. The Google rating was unusually high (4.8), so we tried it. 

After sitting at an outdoor table, surrounded by flowers, we looked at the menu and ordered the following items from Ajara (our Italian waitress):

• Appetizer: Caprese Salad (with Buffalo mozzarella)
• Boris & Inna: Pizza Capricciosa, Hot Tea
• Alex: Pizza Margherita, Hot Tea
• Dessert: Tiramisu

We really loved our pizzas. They were as delicious as anything eaten at Eataly in Boston or New York. In addition, the Tiramisu was genuinely exceptional - one of the best I've ever had.

 

After dinner, we walked to the GIO Gelateria on Union Street for a sample of our favorite gelato. Inna and I picked two flavors: Vanilla with Orange and Sour Cherry. They were exceptional. I liked that the vanilla was moderately sweet (unlike at Ghirardelli). This gelato was 10x better than Ghirardelli's and half the price.

 

Monday, August 8, 2022

I woke at 08:00 and decided to stroll to Crissy Field. It was a bit cloudy outside, and I felt refreshed during my walk.

After returning home, I showered and decided to start my work. I had many meetings to call into.

At noon, Inna and I drove to Whole Foods nearby to purchase groceries. We bought the following items:

• 3 lbs of boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs
• Organic Lady Alice apples
• Cream Cheese
• Kettle's Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips
• Whole Foods sourdough boule bread
• Avocados
• Greens

After returning home, I received a couple of packages from Amazon. My O'Neil 4/3mm wetsuit arrived, but it seemed thin compared to my Promotion wetsuit. I decided to return it back to Amazon.

I thought about letting Alex wing foil before my 16:00 meeting, but the wind at Anita Rock seemed too strong (21-25 knots), and Alex decided against it.

At around 16:40, after finishing my work meetings, I drove to Crissy Field to assess the situation. There were a lot of white caps on the water, so I decided to windsurf. I rigged my Ezzy Elite 5.0m sail and attached it to my Fanatic 105 STB freestyle wave board.

I started sailing at around 17:00. The wind was gusty, and I managed to plan a few times. However, it was on and off with a powerful tidal current (it was flooding). On my way back, returning to where I started was hard. I had to endure the walk of shame a few more times.

I sailed for about an hour, but it was a battle with the gusty wind and tide. Although I had a few fun runs, it was not all that exciting. I wished that I was wing-foiling instead! The many wing foilers around me were sailing quite well.

In the evening, Inna cooked the organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs and made delicious guacamole. After we finished dinner, we all went for a short walk to the Palace of Fine Arts and then to Crissy Field. It was still surprisingly windy.

 

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

I woke at 07:30 and decided to stroll to Crissy Field. It was a bit cloudy outside, and I felt refreshed during my walk. After returning home, I showered and decided to start my work. I had many meetings to call into.

At noon, Inna and I strolled to Equator Coffees in Fort Mason for our usual mocha and latte. It was a very sunny day and an enjoyable walk.

I had many business meetings to call into and had a small lunch consisting of deli meat with Havarti cheese and potato chips.

At around 15:15, after finishing my work meeting, I drove to Crissy Field to assess the wind. The iPhone app iwindsurf.com was showing 17-18 knots. I saw white caps on the water and rigged my Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. I attached the 1850cm Armstrong foil to my Naish Hover GS 110L board.

I was on the water by 15:30, battling the gusty SW winds. I was able to get flying on the foil and crashed many times. I can now fly upwind but have difficulty controlling the foil when flying.

Moving the foil 1/2 inch back really helped my balance. I had a fantastic day wing foiling. I contacted Alex to see whether he also wanted to foil, but he has not responded.

In the evening, I continued working and made Jasmine rice while Inna cooked some vegetables and reheated the chicken thighs. We had a very delicious dinner.

After dinner, we walked to the Palace of Fine Arts, followed by Crissy Field, to watch the gorgeous sunset. I also took photos of a bicyclist doing exciting tricks - jumping and hopping on one wheel. I was very impressed!

 

When we returned home, Inna continued to study Python while I resumed work.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

I woke at 08:00 and decided to stroll to Crissy Field. The Golden Gate Bridge was covered with light fog, and I spent a few minutes stretching.

When I returned home, I noticed some ants near our bread (which I cleaned up right away). I also decided to wash our bedroom's sheets. It took a few hours to complete the washing and drying.

At noon, Inna and I took our usual stroll to Equator Coffees, where I drank the mocha, and Inna drank some specialty drinks. I liked my mocha more.

At around 13:30, I drove Alex to Crissy Field to get him started wing foiling for his second day. I parked on the grass near the Crissy Beach Changing Rooms when we arrived. I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish Hover GS 110L board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing. Alex was on the water by 14:00. I returned home to attend my meeting.

He was able to taxi out but had difficulty standing up (which is expected for the second-day wing foiling).

When I returned around 15:30, Alex was still on the water, and I could see he had made significant progress. He could fly the wing more often and taxi out and back in, though standing up was still a problem.

He continued wing foiling until 16:00 when he grew tired and decided to end his session. I helped carry the board to the lawn, and Alex changed out of his wetsuit so I could use it, too.

At around 16:15, I was wing foiling at Crissy. The wind was strong and gusty, and I had many fantastic wipeouts. I had one excellent foiling session, where I flew for a long time. The speed when foiling was phenomenal. It was a tremendous day wing dinging!

After a delicious dinner, Inn and I went for our usual evening stroll to the Palace of Fine Arts (to take photos of Night Herons and other beautiful birds). After taking pictures, we headed to Crissy Field to watch a fantastic sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge.

The full moon was hanging relatively low, too. It was a beautiful evening to be strolling in San Francisco. Inna spent the evening reviewing Python lectures.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

I woke at 07:30 and strolled to Crissy Field. It was another beautiful day in San Francisco.

After returning home, I took a shower, shaved, and dressed. I decided to launder the towels and loaded the washing machine.

I had scores of business meetings to call into, and it was generally a hectic day.

At noon, I managed to sneak out with Inna to Equator Coffees in Fort Mason for a delicious mocha. Inna had her usual latte. On the way home, we pre-ordered freshly battered chicken from Cracked & Battered. We ordered 5 pieces and expected them to be ready when we arrived 15 minutes later.

However, the chicken was not ready, so I headed home while Inna waited for the order. She stopped by a few minutes later with 6-pieces of chicken and fresh cole slaw. The chicken was delicious, and everyone (including Alex) devoured it hungrily.

At around 15:10, I drove to Crissy Field to wing foil for one hour between meetings. I parked on the grass near the Crissy Beach Changing Rooms when I arrived. I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish Hover GS 110L board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing.

My wing foiled for about 45 minutes in a very gusty, strong wind. The wind was so strong - that I could have been windsurfing. I saw a few windsurfers venture out into the cold, imposing bay and planing very well.

As for me, I got flying on the foil for a long time, and it was a lot of fun! When I drove home, I could not park in the garage, as someone (it turned out to be the house cleaner) was blocking the garage entrance. I parked on the curb, and we contacted the home's owner to find out what to do. Nothing needed to be done, as the cleaner left.

Alex wanted to meet with his friends and decided to drive to San Jose. I hope he has fun! He will stay overnight in San Jose before returning to San Francisco on Friday afternoon.

In the evening, I had to attend multiple meetings and did not get to walk to Crissy Field. Inna managed to complete her walk and see another beautiful sunset. She also saw the trick bicyclists perform their usual stunts.

Friday, August 12, 2022

I woke at 07:30 and strolled to Crissy Field. It was another beautiful day in San Francisco.

I had many meetings in the morning and was quite busy.

When Alex returned from San Jose (where he stayed overnight), we drove our 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan to Schubert's Bakery to purchase delicious cakes (Napoleon, Strawberry Shortcake) for our evening tea with Alla and Dmitriy.

As Alex was not feeling well and we were both rather hungry, I ordered 5 chicken pieces from  Cracked & Battered nearby. Inna decided to try the Lobster Roll and bisque from the nearby Food Truck on Marina Boulevard. As expected, my chicken order was lost (again!), and I had to wait 30 minutes for Cracked & Battered to make another batch.

Alex and I devoured the chicken hungrily and managed to do a bit more work before heading out to Wing Foil. As Alex was not feeling well, he did not wing foil.

At around 15:00, I drove to Crissy Field to Wing Foil before 17:30 (when I needed to return home to meet with our friends.) 

When I arrived, I parked far from the changing area, and after some time, I remarked near the Crissy Beach Changing Rooms, near the grass. With so many parked cars, getting my gear out was hardy gear out.

I attached the Armstrong 1850cm foil to the Naish Hover GS 110L board and inflated the Duotone Slick SLS 5.0m wing.

The wind was supposed to be 20 knots, but iwindsurf.com sensors at Anita Rock reported much lower. However, the wind was much more potent when I got on the water, and I had difficulty managing the wing.

Placing the foil further back really helped my balance during actual foiling. With the strong ebb, I actually had difficulty going downwind. I need to figure out how to sail downwind. It was another incredible day, but I wish I was on a smaller wing (a 4.0m) or windsurfing on a 4.5m sail instead.

I returned home at around 17:45 and took a shower. Inna dressed, and our friends showed up at around 18:00. We ate dinner at the German Radhaus restaurant in Fort Mason and walked there.

While seated outdoors at Radhaus, we ordered the following dinner items:

• Appetizer: Pretzel with Obatzda (a bit too small), Deviled Eggs
• Boris: Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, Konig Pilsner (0.5-liter) 
• Inna: Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, Riesling

We enjoyed meeting our friends and our dinner at Radhaus. I was not too impressed with Deviled Eggs, and the pretzel needed to be bigger (although it was delicious and freshly baked). The Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich was outstanding!

 

After dinner, we walked to the Palace of Fine Arts and returned home at 3526 Scott Street, where Inna made fresh green and black Lady Londonderry black tea.

We really enjoyed all our cakes from Schubert's Bakery. They were outstanding!

I was so tired after dinner that I could not do any more work.

San Francisco Workation Week 3 Review

Highlights

• Wing Foiling at Crissy Field
• Morning walk to Crissy Field and to the Palace of Fine Arts
• Eating San Francisco's best croissants at Arsicault Bakery
• Eating delicious cakes and tarts from Schubert's Bakery.
• Eating pizza and tiramisu at Napizza.
• Sampling San Franciso's best gelato at GIO Gelato 
• Drinking mochas at Equator Coffees
• Eating delicious fried chicken at  Cracked & Battered. 

Lowlights

• Fighting ants in our kitchen and bathroom (in our Vrbo home at 3526 Scott Street)
• Disappointment with Hot Fudge Sundae at Ghirardelli (vanilla is too sweet, not enough fudge)
• Not able to play miniature golf at Stagecoach Greens (out of tickets)